In John Lescroart’s latest thriller, San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy is called upon to investigate the murder of a wealthy man whose heirs are all potential suspects.
It's always hard for me to remember that the author is not, in fact, an attorney, because Lescroart's depiction of legal practice and courtroom strategy is so spot on. Recommended.

This long running series continues to pull me in from the story’s onset, with each page that’s turned, some new tidbit jumps out to remind me why this author is one of my all time favorites. The relationships between the main characters of the series is what drives me to watch for each new book to be released.

With unexpected twists and turns, carefully thought out plot points, humorous banter, and captivating, intelligent dialog the story moves along at a fast clip, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough...something new always seemed to come out of nowhere. And just when I thought I might have figured out where the story was leading, I was taken in an unexpected direction. Definitely a story that is hard to put down!

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

While defense attorneys were fond of saying that it really didn't matter and they really didn't care about whether their clients were factually guilty or not, basic human nature kicked in when you sincerely believed that you were defending an innocent person.

Dismas Hardy defense attorney, bar owner, father of two and husband of one, has sworn never to take homicide case again. To dangerous. Been shot at and done that. However, when Abby Jarvis called him from the San Francisco jail in desperate need, he was pulled in to her defense. Having defended her once before for an car accident that resulted in a death, Hardy knew what type of person Abby was. She was good person with a good heart that made terrible decisions. With those terrible decisions, she owned up to them and wanted a better life.

Abby now works as a bookkeeper for a big corporation. She has a daughter with specials needs and with special needs, you always need money. When her boss Grant Carver ended up dead which looked like a heart attack but later came back as being murdered, the authorities found a motive in Abby. He was poisoned and Abby is now indicted with murder. Because of another round of bad decisions, Abby has pleaded for Hardy to take her case. With Carver's family in the mix, known as the G-Team, Dismas must find motive for Grant's murder and opportunity. Hardy wants to believe his client's innocence, but the truth of lies come to light, and he struggles with his client to be forthcoming. His way of going thru a case with his contracted investigator, the dots begin to connect. Dimas leaves no stone unturned.

With the Hardy series, there are several cases going along and this is no different. A murder of a young Chinese man who was executed at his home. No forced entry and it points to the victim knowing his killer. Waverly and his partner Yamashiro are called to the scene and begin to unravel the young man's life. During their investigation, Waverly is overcoming traumatic stress and it is taking hold of his work and his personal life. This brings an element humanity to these men as his partner calls him on it and how he deals with it. The two detectives also brought the indictment to Abby and continue to make their case solid against her.

So I am reading about these two cases and thinking ok where is the tie. What ties them together and low and behold there are several things. One Hardy's son who knew the victim. A big concern for his family and the second tea. But that is all I am going to tell you. It is more fun as you go along and tie one on.

I am not sure but this may be the end of the series and I hope not. I like Hardy. He has wit, grit and he is like a dog with a bone. He never gives up on a case and on people. Even to the bitter end. Enjoyed this one!

A Special Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Atria Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Poison. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Having been shot by a recent client, Attorney Dismas Hardy has been thinking about scaling back his professional duties. Although his wife would rather he retire altogether, Hardy gets a call from a former client that pulls him back into a world of violence and murder. Since the police has narrowed their view to his client alone, will Dismas be able to work his contacts and save Abby Jarvis from certain imprisonment? As the investigation deepens, will the little pieces of the puzzle suddenly become a larger picture?

After 17 books with Dismas Hardy as the main character, it may be time for author John Lescroart to move onto a new project. Hardy has stagnated, as this well developed character has nothing new to say in this book. Poison was all over the place, with multiple side plots and too many peripheral characters. The book lacked cohesion and did not have the usual excitement of a Dismas Hardy book. The novel was a missed opportunity by the author to breathe new life into the long standing character. It is my hope that the next book will usher in new characters to whom Hardy can pass his baton. For readers who are new to the series, I would recommend reading from the beginning. Although Poison was not up to the author's usual standards, the book was a fast read. I am hesitant to recommend the novel, but I still look forward to reading more by author John Lescroart in the future.

First Sentence: If opening day wasn’t the happiest landmark in Dismas Hardy’s year, he didn’t know what was.

San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy is recovering from two gunshot wounds and thinking about retirement. The murder of Grant Wagner, the owner of a successful family business, changes his plans. Abby Jarvis was a former client of Hardy’s and is the prime suspect. She was Wagner’s bookkeeper and was receiving substantial sums of cash off the books, but she claims she is innocent. The further Dismas digs into the family relationships, the more precarious his own life becomes.

If you’ve not read Lescroart in a while, or ever, this is a good time to change that. Lescroart is a true storyteller. He engages the reader from the beginning with his style and humor—“Part of it, of course, was AT&T Park, which to his mind was essentially the platonic ideal of a ballpark. (Although, of course, how could Plato have known?)”

There is a fair number of characters in the story, but Lescroart is adept at introducing them all and making them distinct enough not to become confused. Having the perspective of the victim’s family is an interesting approach.

In addition to a good recounting of the past case which caused Hardy to be shot, there is an excellent explanation of the steps and process of the law. Rather than its being dry reading, it involves one as if they are the defendant. Early on, it is revealed that poison was the cause of Wagner’s death, and interesting information on wolfsbane is provided. The link made from the first murder to the second is nicely done as it then becomes personally dangerous to Dismas.

The mention of food and family—“Hardy made them both an enormous omelet in his black cast-iron pan… They discussed the irony that he’d spiked the eggs with a cheese from Cowgirl Creamery named Mt. Tam, and that Frannie was going out to climb the very same Mount Tamalpais with her women’s hiking group in the next half hour or so.”—local landmarks, and all the San Francisco references, add realism to the story. Another such touch is the mention of a fellow author—“…C.J. Box novel, stopping on a high note when he laughed aloud after coming across the line ‘Nothing spells trouble like two drunk cowboys with a rocket launcher.’”

Lescroart not only shows what happens on the defense side of a case, but also with the homicide team and, somewhat, with the prosecution team. The crisis within the Hardy household is realistically portrayed. Lescroart has a very good way of subtly increasing the suspense.

“Poison” is an extremely well-done legal thriller filled with details which can seem overwhelming yet are interesting and, most of all, important. The well-done plot twists keep one involved and the end makes one think.

POISON (Legal Thril-Dismas Hardy-San Francisco, CA-Contemp) – G+
Lescroart, John – 17th in series
Atria Books – February 2018

Published by Atria Books on February 13, 2018

Dismas Hardy has a new murder case, and that’s reason for readers — but not Dismas — to celebrate. A former client named Abby Jarvis has been charged with murdering her boss for a million dollar inheritance. Having once killed someone in a car accident, the police and prosecutors (being true to their nature) believe that Abby must be guilty of an intentional murder. In addition, Abby was the bookkeeper in her boss’ business, and she has been taking money off the books, perhaps by embezzling the funds or perhaps as a means of tax-free compensation that her boss authorized. In any event, things don’t look good for Abby.

Abby’s boss was poisoned with a drug that comes from an herbal root (although the death was initially ruled a heart attack) and there is no direct evidence that Abby poisoned him. Suicide or an accidental death from overdosing on an herbal tea is a possibility, although no poison was discovered in the victim’s home. The case against Abby does not appear to be strong, but Dismas has sworn off murder cases (the last one got him shot) and he needs to talk himself into taking this one. It doesn’t help that Abby has kept a fact or two secret that, when revealed, will make her look guilty whether she is or isn’t.

There are plenty of other suspects for Dismas and his investigator, Wyatt Hunt, to consider. The victim had been having an affair with Abby (hence her inheritance), but he had recently broken off an affair with another woman. His son Gary was running the business and may have been concerned that the victim was planning to sell it. Two other children from his first marriage also work for the business, although at least one of those resents Gary’s larger salary and would like to see the business sold so he could cash in and stop working. The victim’s current wife is in a care facility for dementia, and her adopted son, while having no role in the victim’s business, seems to be taking an active interest in whether or not it will be sold.

Much of the drama unfolds early in the case, after Abby has been indicted but before she’s entered a plea. Whether Dismas will even continue to represent her past the plea is unclear. Even less clear, since Dismas doesn’t know what evidence was presented to the grand jury, is whether the case is strong or weak. The police and prosecutors engage in a fair amount of posturing, as does Dismas, but Dismas’ uncertainty is a realistic portrayal of the problem that defense attorneys have as they make strategic decisions early in a case without knowing what they’re facing.

Dismas is one of my favorite defense attorneys in legal thrillers. He’s an ideal blend of nice guy and fierce advocate. He has strong friendships with prosecutors and police investigators, but he doesn’t let friendship get in the way of mounting an aggressive defense. He’s tactically smart and has the theatrical skills that defense lawyers need. He’s ethical, practical, and dedicated to his clients. If he were real, I would hire him in a heartbeat.

A subplot involves Detective Eric Waverly’s struggle with pain and the impact his anger is having on his family and career. Another involves Dismas’ son Vinnie, whose friend David Chang was murdered. Another involves how Dismas’ wife reacts to the fear that Dismas has (again) made himself (and perhaps Vinnie, this time) a target for the real killer. The dilemma that Dismas faces (abandon his client or be abandoned by his wife) adds an extra layer of drama to the story. All of the subplots are credible and they all tie together neatly in the end. Poison is the kind of well-crafted legal thriller that readers have come to expect from John Lescroart, and another strong entry in the Dismas Hardy series.

RECOMMENDED

I have not read any of the other books in this series about criminal defense attorney Dismas Hardy, but the book worked fine as a standalone. I was expecting more of a legal thriller, however this is a procedural with investigations by both the San Francisco police and by Hardy with his private investigator.

Hardy's former client Abby Jarvis has been arrested for the murder by poisoning of her employer Grant Wagner. She has definite motives for killing him, but so do the victim's grown children and ex-girlfriend. More murders ensue. The book has a very conventional structure with no twists. There is a lot of family angst going on with both Hardy and one of the police detectives. I wasn't really interested in it. The book would occupy your time on a long flight but there is nothing special about it. I doubt that I will read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I found this book to be very repetitive with a solution that popped up out of nowhere. It had possibilities of being more that mildly entertaining.

3.5 stars.

The solution to my 2018 fiction slump may be to not aim too high. So I decided to read Poison, which is #17 in a series by an author I have never read. Low expectations can sometimes be rewarding. Poison was not profound or mind blowingly clever. But it felt like the comfort food of a very solid police procedural.

Dismas Hardy is a recognizable aging criminal defence lawyer who reluctantly takes on the case of a young woman who swears she is innocent in the murder of her boss who runs a successful family owned business. In parallel, a couple of seasoned police officers are investigating the seemingly unrelated murder of a young high tech industry millennial. I will say nothing more to avoid spoilers.

As in all good mysteries, there is a good balance between focus on the plot and focus on the lives of the recurring characters. And in this case, jumping in at #17 was not a problem.

I enjoyed it while it lasted. I suspect I won’t remember much of the plot. But I would definitely pick up another book in the series if I was looking for light entertainment.

Now I go back to my quest for fiction that knocks my socks off...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

There’s a lot of residual pain in this tale, from poorly healed bullet wounds, old court cases, former clients, past transgressions and secrets poorly kept. Untangling the pain from the original causes and trying to make some sense out of various points of views is the goal of many of the characters. Oddly enough, many of them are the same ones with pain issues obscuring the “truth” or at least the crime at the center of this book. A man dies by presumed heart attack until one of his adult children asks for an enhanced autopsy which leads to a coroner’s determination of death by poison. But was it suicide or murder? The bookkeeper is arrested and then the fun begins. Her attorney, our recurring protagonist Dismas Hardy, is recovering from gunshot wounds and reluctant to take any more murder cases. The investigating detective is suffering from pain related to a gunshot wound and overmedicating. The bookkeeper is withholding info from Hardy; the children of the dead man are withholding info from each other and the police. The police are wrapped up in their own drama. The book is filled with good solid mystery and plenty of side drama to keep the story moving forward at a fast clip. Another fine Lescroart book to add to the mix. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley; many thanks!

Excellent read about the courtroom and the lawyers who must deal with their cases and their personal lives.

So many unusual twists and turns that it totally enthralls you and won't let you go until the end.

Another good read by John Lescroart. It kept me entertained from start to finish. Recommended.

I am not really a big fan of legal thrillers especially if it contains pages among pages among pages (you get the drift) of court proceedings. Especially the ones that they are required to do. HOWEVER! I do make an exception when it's John Lescroart. I love his Dismas Hardy series, while relatively a newcome to the series, I am hooked and look forward to reading earlier books.

This one had something, imo, going on in the wings. Was the author trying to tell us something about the series?

Well, I do know, whether this series or a standalone, I thoroughly enjoy John Lescroart's books!

Huge thanks to Atria Books and Net Galley for yet another approval to read a John Lescroart e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Poison is #17 in the Dismas Hardy series. Since I haven't read a lot of books in this series, I felt that I was missing a lot of backstory, particularly in the relationships between the main characters - Hardy and his family, his investigator, and even the client since she was from the past. I got about halfway through this book before I just gave up because when I have trouble understanding the characters, I will quickly lose interest.

This was a slow, uninteresting book for me. I would like to read another book in this series, and may end up going back to the beginning to really get the history of the characters.

I would like to thank Atria books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After recovering from near-fatal gunshot wounds, attorney Dismas Hardy decided he is done with murder cases. It is time to limit his time at his law practice and concentrate on his family. It is a decision supported by his wife, but when he gets a call from Abby Jarvis, a former client, he agrees to meet with her. Abby has been arrested for murdering her employer. Hardy is planning to look at the evidence against her and recommend an attorney to help her. Like many plans, this one does not go as expected.

Grant Wagner’s Death was originally ruled a suicide. His daughter was not happy with that ruling and asked the police to take a closer look. Abby was hired as the bookkeeper for his company after serving time for vehicular homicide while driving under the influence. She is now sober and a single mother. There was an affair with Wagner and she stood to inherit a million dollars. Then the discovery of a large amount of money missing from the company seals her fate. The problem is that Hardy believes in Abby’s innocence.

With their father’s death, Wagner’s children are divided on the disposition of the company. The eldest son has already moved into his father’s office to take control. Hardy has his investigator look closely at the family and his inquiries lead him to a second murder that may be tied to Wagner’s death.

John Lescroart has once again provided an intricate mystery that will have the reader guessing up to the very end. With the authorities convinced of Abby’s guilt, Hardy is up against a clever killer and he is not receiving any assistance from his friends on the force. He also faces opposition at home, where his wife faces her fear of possibly losing him this time. When his son involves himself in the investigation, he has no choice but to push on. This is John Lescroart at his finest and is not to be missed.

I have read Lescroart for years but recently quit the last two novels he wrote before finishing them. This one did hold my attention and was more compelling. Dismas and most of the regulars are back - Abe Glitsky, Wyatt Hunt, along with other familiar names and characters. Dismas is hired to represent Abby Jarvis on a murder charge, as she's accused of killing her boss/former lover. Dismas goes back and forth on whether he believes she did it and whether he wants to continue trying this case (or any further murder cases, for that matter). However, when two other murders occur, one seemingly related and one believed to be unrelated start to intersect and overlap, Dismas decides to carry on with Jarvis, as she seems less and less involved.

My only knock on this book is that the story took about 20-30 pages too long to develop and then was wrapped up in the last 10-15 pages a little too easy. But I did enjoy the book and have come back to this series from now on.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is part of the Dismas Hardy series but could be read as a stand alone. Dismas has taken on a case for an old client. Abby Jarvis has been accused of poisoning her boss Grant Wagner. Abby has not exactly helped herself with the police, because of her past she has trust issues with the law. She is also keeping a secret. When other murders occur could they be connected to the Wagner case?

This is a well written book with a great plot. The characters are keeping secrets and there is a lot of family drama and jealousy. I had a hard time putting the book down. I didn’t figure out who did it until the author revealed the guilty party to the reader. This is a great addition to the series. I have always loved this series and was glad to have the opportunity to read the latest book. I look forward to future Dismas books. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

In the seventeenth book in John Lescroart's wildly-popular Dismas Hardy series of courtroom dramas, Poison (Simon & Schuster 2018), Dismas starts out sharing how tired he is of being shot at. It has happened so often in what should be the non-threatening life of a litigant that he's decided to take on no more murder cases. It stands to reason that those cases always involve someone who's murdered so if he stays away from them, he can live a long enough to retire. That lasts until a former client, one who he successfully defended when accused of murder (which she did but those mitigating circumstances provided Dismas with wiggle room), is again accused of murder. This time, it's the cold-blooded poisoning of her boyfriend who--turns out--has left her a million dollars in his will. What seemed to be a simple enough defense case gets more complicated each day. Turns out, his client isn't telling him everything and what she isn't telling is more damning than what she is.

I read almost all of the early books in the Dismas Hardy series and loved every one of them but for some reason I don't remember drifted away. This book reminds me why I was so addicted for so long. Dismas has a clever mind, always working to free his client, which creates an addictive and fast-moving plot. But, a few things bothered me. Some of the plot points (no spoilers) weren’t believable and the characters seemed out of character at times which left me scratching my head. Plus, where I’m accustomed to the Dismas series regaling me with Perry Mason sort of extravagant courtroom tactics, this story spent 90%--maybe 95%--of the time on the mystery of the murder. Don’t get me wrong. It's a good whodunnit but it's not why I read this series so I didn't expect it.

And, if I'm honest, Lescroart is better at writing courtroom drama than murders. Still, he's a good storyteller. He knows how to develop his characters and weave through a plot. Definitely worth the time to read.

Note: This will be published on my WordPress blog Feb. 24th

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of Poison by John Lescroart in exchange for an honest review. This novel is the 17th installment about attorney Dismas Hardy, which attests to the popularity of the legal genre in general and John Lescroart in particular. Hardy is approaching retirement and recuperating from a gunshot wound when he is approached by Abby Jarvis, a former client who has been arrested for the murder of Grant Carver, her boss and lover. The adult Carver children all work for the family business and all have something to gain from the death of the patriarch. Abby stands to financially gain as well, which has led to her arrest. What follows are more murders, deceptions and intrigue which could put Hardy and his family at risk. Poison maintains the reader's interest throughout and is a tense but enjoyable read.

Getting shot ain't a walk in the park; and the last time it happened to defense attorney Dismas Hardy, two bullets nearly cost him his life. So now - a year later - he's still recovering and seriously contemplating at least a partial retirement. But everyone knows what happens to best-laid plans - and hopefully for better, not worse, he finds himself trying to defend former client Abby Jarvis. Turns out she's been charged with the murder of her boss, a highly successful owner of a closely held family business. Abby was the man's bookkeeper, hired not long after she got out of jail (a shorter-than-expected stint thanks to Dismas' defense). This time, it's claimed that she was embezzling substantial funds from the company; in part because of her prior record, the police believe her boss caught her in the act and she retaliated by putting a deadly poison in his ever-present tea.

The company will continue under the leadership of the "G Team" - owner Grant Wagner's children, whose names all begin with that letter. But as the investigation proceeds, aided by Dismas' loyal private investigator, Wyatt Hunt, it comes to light that relationships among the dead guy's kids may be less than harmonious. In fact, it can be argued that each of them has reason to get rid of daddy dearest. But the question is, did one of them do the deed? And can Dismas and Wyatt get to the truth before someone else gets hurt (perhaps even Dismas or his grown son, Vincent, who has ties to at least a couple of the suspects)?

I do love this character - this is his 17th appearance - what's not to like about a guy who, when it comes to technology calls himself an "old fart?" That he reads books by another of my favorite authors, C.J. Box, endears him to me even more. And while he may be trying to wind down, he's still "got it" in my book - with the action constant from beginning to end. I won't say that the whodunit came as a big surprise - in fact, I guessed it fairly early on - but that didn't diminish my enjoyment a whit. It's a terrific book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.